Males's School Hoops Highlight: Nick Martinelli Shines With Inconsistent Northwestern

[ad_1] When Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg sat for a pregame information convention on Jan. 15, two days earlier than his eighth-ranked Cornhuskers would tackle Northwestern, the primary query lobbed in his route was, considerably predictably, about Wildcats’ ahead Nick Martinelli.

And why wouldn’t it's? Martinelli, a senior, entered his workforce’s in-state battle with then-No. 13 Illinois the evening prior because the main scorer in Division I at 24.1 factors per sport. The Illini restricted him to "a quiet 20," as head coach Brad Underwood put it, in what completed as a 79-68 loss for Northwestern. Nonetheless, that outing marked the eighth straight 20-point sport for Martinelli — a torrid stretch by which he poured in 27.9 factors per sport — and the Thirteenth time he’s reached that quantity this season. It was simple to know why a reporter requested Hoiberg, considerably tongue in cheek, if Martinelli occupied traces one, two and three on the Cornhuskers’ scouting report coming into the weekend.

"Martinelli is essentially the most distinctive participant in our league with the number of methods he can rating the ball," Hoiberg mentioned. "And he’s taking pictures a extremely excessive share from 3-point vary proper now. His isos, they only offer you nervousness with all of the various things that he can do. You may’t ever go in along with your palms down. And if he makes contested, robust pictures, then you may’t get deflated. You simply must do the most effective job you may.

"He’s the main scorer within the nation proper now, and simply what he’s completed over the course of his profession, you’ve bought to present him loads of credit score, you’ve bought to present their workers loads of credit score for creating him into the kind of participant that he's. He’s actually particular."

(Picture by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Pictures)

Reward of that caliber and depth is routinely heaped on Martinelli by seemingly each Large Ten coach Northwestern faces. He’s the unquestioned focus for a workforce that solely has three gamers averaging greater than 7.4 factors per sport this season, and but Martinelli nonetheless finds methods to supply on a nightly foundation regardless of overwhelming consideration from opposing defenses.

Underscoring his irreplaceable worth, the one gamers within the nation with greater PRPG! scores than Martinelli’s mark of 6.3 — a measurement of what number of factors a person contributes to his workforce above what a replacement-level participant would produce — are Cameron Boozer from Duke (7.0) and Bruce Thornton from Ohio State (6.7), based on T-Rank.

There may be, nonetheless, an unlucky paradox shrouding Martinelli’s statistical exploits: For in addition to he’s taking part in offensively, the Wildcats aren’t successful. Northwestern was clobbered, 77-58, by Nebraska over the weekend to undergo a fifth straight loss. The Wildcats are actually simply 8-10 total and 0-7 within the Large Ten, with six defeats this season by 10 factors or fewer. Barring an otherworldly turnaround, it’s unlikely Martinelli will add a 3rd NCAA match look to his résumé after the Wildcats reached the Spherical of 32 in each his freshman and sophomore seasons. That dynamic, based on head coach Chris Collins, has been troublesome for Martinelli to navigate.

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"Having a successful workforce shouldn't be about being a scoring champion and all that," Collins mentioned in his post-game information convention following the loss to Illinois. "He desires to win. This can be a man that — he’s by no means had a shedding season right here. And we’re one sport below .500, so we now have an opportunity to have a successful season and nonetheless do loads of good issues. I do know that’s actually vital to him. That’s what drives him. And I’m going to be there for him to assist him proceed to be that chief that I do know he desires to be."

One of many the explanation why Martinelli receives such widespread reward from opposing coaches is the admirable trajectory his profession has taken. 4 years in the past, in July 2022, Martinelli enrolled at Northwestern as a zero-star recruit, together with his lone further scholarship provide from Elon. He got here off the bench for many of his first two seasons below Collins earlier than exploding into the Large Ten’s main scorer at 20.5 factors per sport through the 2024-25 marketing campaign, a 12 months by which the Wildcats completed 7-13 in convention play. He explored the NBA Draft course of final summer season and finally determined to return to highschool.

"Undecided his sport interprets to the NBA," one high-ranking league govt informed me final week. "However he's having an awesome season. He has found out a means to achieve success."

This 12 months, Martinelli is averaging profession highs in each scoring (23.7 factors per sport) and rebounding (6.8 per sport), whereas additionally establishing new private bests in taking pictures share (56.3%), 3-point share (53.3%) and free-throw share (78.9%). All of which comes with a supremely heavy workload for a workforce that's battling inconsistency from switch portal guards Jayden Reid and Max Inexperienced. It’s left Martinelli to shoulder a set of superior metrics that embrace the league’s second-highest minutes share, fifth-most fouls drawn per sport and Thirteenth-highest utilization charge, based on KenPom.

"We’re undoubtedly battling," Martinelli mentioned following the loss to Illinois. "We’re laying our hearts on the road each evening however simply can’t get it completed. That’s what basketball is about, it’s about successful. The wins and losses are so vital. You may’t hold having stretches of being within the sport after which not having the ability to get it completed. And at one level, you simply have to vary.

"We simply can’t have these sorts of psychological errors on the finish of video games if we wish to win. I actually consider all people desires to win. It’s clearly been a troublesome stretch, however when you leap off the boat, we’re simply gonna go together with different guys. I’m going to remain on the boat so long as this factor goes."